Standing abs workouts are a great way to strengthen your core without using common exercises like sit-ups, crunches and planks.
Adding a kettlebell into the mix only boosts the benefits of these workouts, not only through doing moves like swings and lifts with the weight, but also because simply holding the kettlebell up above your head challenges the core to keep you balanced during moves like knee drives.
This 15-minute kettlebell core workout has been created by fitness trainer Roxanne Russell, who’s YouTube channel Workout With Roxanne is full of great sessions for all fitness levels.
All you need for the workout is one of the best kettlebell. Pick a weight that you can lift and hold above your head for 60 seconds at a time comfortably.
You can also use a dumbbell for the workout, it’s just easier to do some moves with a kettlebell thanks to the large handle.
Watch Workout With Roxanne’s 15-minute kettlebell workout
There are 12 exercises to do in the workout, and with each you work for 60 seconds and then rest for 20 seconds. You actually only do six different moves in total though, doing each of these on both sides of the body.
There are 12 exercises to do in the workout, and with each you work for 60 seconds and then rest for 20 seconds.
Working each side independently like this is a good way to ensure that both sides of your body are equally strong. You’ll quickly notice if a move is harder on one side than the other, then you can work to address that imbalance over time.
The variety of movements you do in the workout includes knee drives, side bends and twisting motions with the woodchop. This means you can target the whole core, including muscles like the obliques and your lower back as well as the abs.
While with some workouts it’s best to work at a fast pace to fit in as many reps as you can, with this kettlebell session you’ll benefit more from moving slowly and with control.
Focus on keeping your core muscles engaged as you move and staying in control of the movement — this will maximize the time under tension for your muscles to boost their strength.
Russell describes the session as a functional core workout, which gets across that the benefits will be apparent in your everyday moment. By working the core from different angles with a variety of movements while holding a weight you’ll strengthen the muscles you use every day to get around and lift things.
This functional core strength also transfers well to other workouts where you lift heavy weights when targeting other parts of the body like your legs and chest through compound moves like squats and the bench press.
If you have your kettlebell handy and are looking for a full-body workout, try this five-move session from a HYROX Master Trainer, while this 20-minute EMOM workout also blasts the whole body using just one kettlebell.